New Year's Surprises
by QueenOfTheYaoi
Summary: The year is quickly coming to a close, as is the Organization members' vacation.  Roxas wants to make sure the year ends with a memorable bang for a certain slate haired schemer.  Friendship ZexionRoxas, a scheming Roxas, a confused and irked Zexion.  :3


It was a typical day in The Castle that Never Was. Axel and Saix were arguing in the Gray Area. Axel had brought up Saix's bad fashion sense. The bluenette had retorted with a comment about the redhead's tribute to the fire he controlled through his hairstyle and color. Axel had then cracked a joke at the expense of Saix's mother (whom Axel had known as Lea) and all hell broke loose. The rest of Organization XIII was grateful that no one had been assigned missions for the holidays. That meant they had no reason to venture towards the Gray Area for a reason other than entertainment through further provoking the squabbling pair. But they all knew whoever dared get near the two would be sliced to ribbons and burnt into bacon, so everyone understandably kept their distance.

Xigbar was knocking furiously on the door to Havoc's Divide (obviously having forgotten his ability to open dark corridors). He was shouting at Luxord to open the door, claiming that the Gambler of Fate had swindled him out of two hundred munny and demanding that it be refunded. Luxord snickered softly from the other side of the door and answered all of Xigbar's profanity strings, a few of which were recognized by onlookers as being spoken in Italian, with "You took a risk, and Lady Luck didn't have you in her favor. Nothing unfair about it.". Members that happened to observe the scene were all wincing in a way that could almost be called sympathetic. They had all been in a similar situation in the past. The only difference? _They _had all learned their lesson after the _first _time. Xigbar was either was too proud to resist a challenge, or just plain stupid. Or both.

Vexen and Lexaeus were in the lower levels of the castle. More specifically, the laboratory. Becoming Nobodies hadn't hindered the two at all, and they both continued to research everything from simple potions to the more advanced scientific fields such as biochemistry and theoretics. There wasn't much between them that they didn't know, but Lexaeus was much better at being humble about it. The rest of the Organization avoided the lower levels, the lab especially, in fear of being recruited as a test subject. It was rare to not see at least one Nobody strapped to an examination table, and today's victim was the Superior himself. How Xemnas had gotten caught by the duo remained a mystery, but the silver haired mans' subordinates made mental notes to steer clear of their Superior after he was released. Just in case whatever Vexen and Lexaeus did to him was contagious.

Demyx was being surprisingly quiet. On normal days, this would raise red flags and constitute blood and urine testing. But days without assignments were far from normal, and everyone assumed that Demyx didn't have much to say when things were peaceful like they were today. The Melodious Nocturne was plucking strings on Arpeggio while he listened to rock music through one of the ear buds of his I-Pod, seeming to be trying to imitate the guitar parts on his sitar. The other bud was in Marluxia's ear. The pink haired man idly twiddled a rose petal as he watched Demyx play, chuckling at the blonde's irked expression when he couldn't get the notes correct. Now, Marluxia being calm was typical. It was not, on the other hand, typical for the man to sit still. He could often be found prowling around the castle looking for potiental rape victims. The fact that Marluxia wasn't "in the mood" on days off made everyone appreciate them much more when they were given.

Zexion silently watched as the day continued on, and was secretly pleased. If there was anything he enjoyed, it was peace and quiet. Two things that usually eluded the small bluenette when he had to deal with the chaos his "family" liked to cause an a daily basis. The calmness caused by a simple vacation day was a welcome change. On the other hand, whenever Zexion finally found some quiet time, something, or rather _someone_, had always ruined it. Recalling that he hadn't seen the blonde offender that day, the bluenette settled into his favorite loungechair with a copy of his favorite poetry book. The book had a lovely white leather cover, with the name spelled in capital gold letters on the front, and had actually been a present from the boy he was hoping not to see. Zexion sent a silent prayer to Shiva and flipped to the page in the book indicated with an intricately designed navy blue bookmark that he had recieved along with the book.

But of course, his prayers were duly ignored.

Roxas strolled casually into the library. Zexion slammed the book shut with a groan and buried his face in his hands, waiting for whatever torture the small blonde had in mind for him today to commence. When the bluenette wasn't acknowledged in any way, he raised an eyebrow and turned his head just enough to look at Roxas. He was staring into space, unmoving. After a good five minutes of imitating a statue, the blonde raised an arm and quietly opened a dark corridor. Zexion blinked, confused.

"And where are you going, XIII?" He asked. Roxas snapped out of whatever daze he was in and looked at the bluenette.

"Hmm?" The blonde blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Oh. Hiya, Zexy." He said with a grin, inticipating Zexion's reaction to the nickname. As expected, the bluenette growled menacingly, and the blonde boy chuckled under his breath.

"Again, where are you going? You aren't allowed to leave the castle without authorization, and no one has been cleared for a mission today." Zexion reminded the blonde, deciding to momentarily let the use of the nickname slide. Roxas just blinked at him.

"You do know what day it is, don't you?" The blonde asked, looking surprised.

"...Wednesday?"

"No. ...Well yes, but no, not what I meant. Didja notice something about today's date?" Zexion raised an eyebrow. Today was December 31st. What was so special about that?

"I can't say that I have. Now what, exactly, does this have to do with you leaving the castle without permission?" Zexion said, voice bordering on what would be annoyance. Roxas just grinned and gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Not telling."

"You will be reprimanded if you're discovered."

"Not caring."

"..." Zexion sighed. "I suppose I'll give you authorization...but I'm tagging along to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble." Only the original six founding members had the power of rank that allowed them to authorize the use of dark corridors to places outside The World That Never Was. Although Zexion was willing to give the blonde the permission he needed to open the dark corridor, he wasn't willing to stake his reputation on Roxas's behavior. "Where are you planning to go?" Roxas smirked.

"Twilight Town, mister chauffer." Zexion rolled his eyes.

"I'm not your chauffer." The blunette stated in an unamused tone. With a lazy flick of his wrist, Zexion closed Roxas's corridor and opened his own. Roxas's smirk became a full blown smile as he ran through the portal, grabbing Zexion's wrist and pulling him along. Little did the bluenette know, Roxas had recieved authorization to leave the castle from Xemnas over a week ago, and had only been acting to get Zexion to accompany him. The blonde chuckled to himself. His plan was in motion.

.o.O.o.

The portal opened in the side street, right in front of the gated entrance to the "usual spot", and two cloaked figures stepped through. The portal closed behind them with a hiss. Roxas, taking in his surroundings, let out a small sigh of relief at their location. It wouldn't have been much good for them to pop up in Tram Common. It was bound to be crowded today, but Zexion wouldn't know that. That's where the New Year's Eve festival was being held. Although Roxas would enjoy browsing the various booths set up, he knew his more reserved bluenette friend wouldn't like being in the company of so many strangers. That's not why the blonde was here, anyway. Oh no, Roxas was only intrested in showing Zexion the grand finale.

"Interesting choice of destination, XIII," Zexion commented, looking around the alley they had appeared in. "Why exactly did you want to come to Twilight Town?" Roxas scratched the back of his neck and gave a sheepish grin.

"Just wanted to do some exploring."

"...Exploring." The bluenette repeated. Roxas nodded in confirmation and gave another embarrassed smile. Zexion sighed. "I will _never _understand you."

"I wouldn't be much fun if I was understandable, now would I?" Roxas noted. Zexion sighed again.

"I suppose not. Let's get going." The bluenette started to walk down the street towards Tram Common, and Roxas internally panicked. Stopping him might look suspicious, but letting him go could throw a wrench in his plans. And then, a light bulb.

"Hey, Zexy? Where ya goin'?" He asked, deciding to play it cool. Zexion raised an eyebrow.

"Exploring. That's what you wanted to do, was it not?"

"Well, yeah! But I want to explore the inside of places, starting with one store in particular."

"...So basically you want to go shopping." It was more a statement than a question, but Roxas nodded eagerly anyway. Zexion resisted the urge to facepalm himself. "Lead the way, then." Roxas let out an internal sigh of relief and smiled, grabbing Zexion's hand and pulling him towards Station Heights.

.o.O.o.

Zexion stared up at the storefront, eyebrows quirked as he took in the gothic appearance the shop held. "Hot Topic?" The bluenette read out loud from the red sign over the entrance to the store. He sent Roxas a paranoid glance. "But you aren't goth." Roxas sucked his teeth and crossed his arms, giving a playful smirk.

"And you aren't emo, and yet you insist on keeping your hair like that. If you can have emo hair without being emo, I can have goth clothes without being goth." Zexion just blinked.

"...Wow, I don't have a response for that." This made Roxas chuckle.

"Besides, not everything they sell here is 'goth' exactly. A lot of it is really cool looking punk rock stuff."

"If you say so." Roxas laughed again and walked into the store, Zexion following. The blonde walked right up to the brunette teenager behind the counter.

"Hiya, Olette." Olette looked up from the magazine she'd been reading and smiled at Roxas sweetly.

"Hi there, stranger. Long time no see." She said with a giggle. Roxas laughed with her and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. But I'm here now, ain't I?" Olette chuckled again.

"That you are." She said before looking at Zexion curiously. "And who would this be?"

"This is a friend of mine, Zexion."

"Oh?" She gave the bluenette a kind smile. "Nice to meet you, Zexion. I'm Olette."

"Likewise." Zexion said, not really paying attention to the words Roxas and Olette were exchanging. He was too busy looking at the store. Black walls held hundreds of t-shirts shielded behind glass, all with different designs and patterns on them. It was quite a sight.

"So, you think you could measure Zexy for me?" Roxas asked, patting Zexion's shoulder for emphasis. This snapped Zexion out of his gawking spell, and he raised an eyebrow at Roxas. Olette nodded.

"Of course! C'mon, Zexion, the changing rooms are back here." Zexion sent Roxas a paranoid glance, but said nothing as Olette led him off. Roxas grinned and waved goodbye before leaving to browse the store's contents. Arriving in the "changing room", which was actually a big room with five small rooms on either side of it, with three large mirrors at the front and a pedestal in the middle. Olette pulled a tape measure out of her pocket and motioned for Zexion to stand on the pedestal, which he did without question. The brunette unwound the tape measure and got to work, making small talk as she went along. "So how old are you?"

_Good question, _Zexion thought. Feeling it would be rude to voice that particular thought, Zexion went with the age he appeared to others to be.

"I'm sixteen." The bluenette answered. Olette smiled.

"Cool, me too," She replied quietly. "You aren't a big talker, are you?" The bluenette chuckled under his breath.

"You could say that."

"You're waaaaay different from Roxas. Roxas doesn't sit still, and I don't think he has a quiet bone in his body. How'd you meet him?" Zexion blinked at her. What was he supposed to say? Oh, they were both part of a secret Organization that's hellbent on capturing a fourteen year old boy who swings around an oversized key? Tch, yeah right.

"Through work."

"Work?" Olette giggled. "Your boss has weird taste in uniforms then." Zexion held back a groan.

"You have no idea." The brunette giggled again.

"Y'know," She inquired, moving downwards to measure Zexion's lower half. "I've never seen Roxas so relaxed around anyone before. Even when he's playing grandstander with Hayner he seems tense. He must really like you."

_Like...heh, if only he could. _Zexion mused. Roxas was a nobody, as was he. How could they like anything? But the stoic bluenette played along.

"I would like him much better if he was seen more than heard." The Cloaked Schemer noted with a serious face. It was true though, Roxas would be much more enjoyable if he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Olette giggled yet again, and Zexion was beginning to wonder if the brunette laughed at everything.

"He can be annoying sometimes, but you shouldn't get mad at him for it. I bet if one day he started to act perfectly normal, you would miss the old him." She said, sounding like she was well educated on the matter. Zexion gave a small smile at the concept. Missing the blonde's irksome habits...his annoying interruptions...his idiotic endeavors...and the look of carefree, child like innocence that radiated from him as he did them...

"...I suppose I would." He admitted. Olette gave one last smile before rolling up the tape measure. At that exact moment, Roxas returned, carrying a stack of clothes.

"Size six pants, medium shirt." Olette recited, and the blonde grinned.

"Thanks Olette."

"No problem!" Olette bounced off to attend to other customers, leaving Roxas and Zexion alone. Zexion eyed the stack of clothes wearily.

"If the girl _just _told you my measurements, how did you get clothes?" He asked, giving Roxas an accusing look. Roxas shrugged and smiled.

"Remember when you found out your pajamas fit me? I just assumed it would work both ways." The blonde handed Zexion the pile of folded clothing and shoved him into one of the changing rooms. "Now get changed!" Inside the room, Zexion sighed.

_I might even miss his pushiness. _The bluenette thought with a smirk. He quickly threw on the first shirt and pair of pants in the stack without looking at what exactly he was putting on. He stepped out of the room, rejoining Roxas and the newly returned Olette. Olette gasped.

"Oh my gosh, you look great! Go look at yourself, go look at yourself!" She said, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet and gesturing to the mirrors. Raising an eyebrow at the brunette's reaction, he walked to the mirror and did about ten double-takes. He was wearing low rise black jeans that were artfully torn, revealing pale skin underneath. The shirt had a v neck, and looked more like a short sleeved shirt over a long sleeved one. The sleeves were navy blue, while the shirt itself was black and purple. It looked as if purple paint had been messily smeared and splattered on a black background. Zexion was amused to see "VI" in the bottom left corner of the shirt in a lighter shade of purple, looking like it had been slashed into the fabric. But the clothes weren't what got him.

What got Zexion was the fact that he looked like a normal teenager.

Olette walked up behind him and smiled. "See? You do look great!" She gave Zexion's shoulder a reassuring pat before leaving again. Zexion looked at Roxas, who was still looking over the wardrobe. The blonde grinned.

"Do I know how to pick clothes or what?" He said, walking up behind Zexion. The bluenette nodded and turned back to his reflection. "There's something missing, though..." The blonde tapped his chin and looked Zexion over again. He snapped his fingers and walked off, leaving a confused Zexion to figure out what exactly had happened. Returning a few minutes later, Roxas went up to the bluenette and fastened something around his neck. Looking over his work, the blonde gave a satisfied nod. "Perfect." Zexion raised an eyebrow and looked in the mirror, only to notice that there was now a black strap snapped around his neck that looked much too similar to a collar.

"...Why exactly did you put a collar on me?"

"Not a collar, a _choker_. I think it makes a nice accessory!" The blonde defended. Roxas and Zexion had a staredown, ending with Roxas sighing in defeat and looking away. "If you don't like it, take it off." Zexion turned back to the mirror and smiled softly.

"No, the outfit looks..."

"Awesome?"

"That's a good word for it." Roxas smiled widely.

"Glad you like it, cuz now you have to try on the rest!" He said excitedly, gesturing to the pile of clothes in the changing room, which Zexion noticed looked considerably bigger. Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious agitation.

"Olette brought in more clothes, didn't she."

"Yup!" Roxas answered, confirming the bluenette's theory. Zexion sighed and shook his head, walking into the small changing room to hide his smirk.

"Better get started, then." The bluenette said, beginning to get undressed.

.o.O.o.

Now redressed in their Organization coats, Roxas and Zexion wandered around Station Heights, each holding various bags from Hot Topic in their arms. Zexion stopped and sat on a bench, putting down the bags he was holding.

"The fact that you had enough munny to afford all of this severely amazes me." The bluenette muttered, rubbing his wrist where the plastic had dug into it. Roxas chuckled and sat next to him.

"I'm not usually such a big spender." The blonde replied. Zexion rolled his eyes.

"I would hope not." The bluenette stood up, grabbing the bags again. "You've gone shopping, more for me than yourself might I add, so can we RTC-" His sentence was cut off by a growling sound. Roxas automatically put his guard up, looking around for Heartless, but he chuckled when he realized what the sound had come from.

"Getting hungry?" The blonde asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." Zexion answered stubbornly. As if on cue, the bluenette's stomach growled again. He glared at it, mentally scolding himself for not eating before they left the castle. Roxas laughed at Zexion's expression. The bluenette sighed and moved a hand over the offending body part. "Okay, maybe a little..." The blonde went into hysterics.

"Heh, you're too stubborn. Sounds like more than just a little."

"It's not my fault you pulled me away before i had the chance to eat breakfast." Zexion replied with a roll of his eyes. Roxas chuckled again.

"Hows about we go get some food then? What're you in the mood for?" The bluenette tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"...I crave sushi at the moment." Roxas's eyes widened a bit.

"_You _eat _sushi_?" The blonde asked, having to try hard not to give a disbelieving look. Zexion shrugged.

"Yes, I eat sushi. What's wrong with that?" The bluenette asked, crossing his arms and looking like he was contemplating whether or not to pout. Roxas just shook his head and grinned.

"Nothing wrong with that at all, I love sushi. C'mon, there's this one sushi bar that has the awesomest unagi and taro rolls you've ever tasted!"

.o.O.o.

Roxas and Zexion sat in one of the many booths at the small resturant, Roxas grinning widely as their rather large sushi platter was set in between them, and Zexion gawking at the amount of sushi that the blonde had ordered. Did he have a secret bank account loaded with munny?

"Thanks, Miss Kari! Tell Mr. Uraro thank you, too, kay?" The waitress, a tall woman with black hair that came to rest at the small of her back pulled into a pony tail who looked to be in her early twenties, smiled and ruffled Roxas's spikes.

"You're very welcome, honey. So tell me, how much did my uncle sneak onto your plate _this _time?" Kari asked. She crossed her arms, stuck out her hip, and raised an eyebrow, but her tone was playful, and Zexion could tell Kari was just teasing Roxas. Roxas pouted.

"Not much, I swear! Just...y'know...an extra unagi roll...another taro roll...and all of the california rolls, but that's it!" Zexion's jaw would've dropped if it wasn't for his calm and collected composure. The california rolls took up about a quarter of the platter. Kari just giggled.

"You're lucky he likes you, or that'd be another 50 munny!"

"Yeah, I know, but it would totally be worth it. Mr. Uraro makes _the best _sushi ever."

"I'll be sure to tell him you said that, honey. Enjoy your meal, you two." Kari said, giving Zexion a respectful nod and Roxas a quick hug before scurrying into the kitchen and tittering with her uncle in a language Zexion recognized as Wutaian. He raised an eyebrow at Roxas.

"Well, someone's been breaking rules, hasn't he?" The bluenette was making a statement more than asking a question. Roxas chuckled.

"Yeah yeah, I know, no unneccessary contact with the civilians. But personally I find lunch breaks _very _neccessary, so whenever our missions drag on that long, me and Axel come here." The blonde noted with a shrug.

"...A loophole. I'm impressed." Zexion said, smirking a bit at Roxas's accomplishment. He snapped open a pair of chopsticks.

"Why thank you." Roxas replied. "We brought Demyx here once. He called Mr. Uraro a fishie murderer." He added, picking up a fork. Zexion stared at him. "...What?"

"Why are you using a fork for sushi?" The blonde scratched the back of his head and looked down at his unopened chopsticks.

"Err...well, you see...I kinda...don't know how to use chopsticks..." Zexion blinked.

"You really don't?"

"Nope."

"It's easy. Here, hold one stick like you're holding a pencil." Zexion instructed, demonstrating with his own sticks. Roxas picked up one of the sticks and held it the way Zexion was. "And then hold the other one where your thumb and index finger meet." Again, Roxas did as Zexion told him. After Zexion fiddled with the sticks, adjusting them so Roxas was holding them correctly, he nodded approvingly. "Good, now try to pick something up." Zexion scissored the sticks for a moment before picking up a taro roll, holding it up to show Roxas that it was indeed possible. The blonde focused on picking up a california roll. Tongue poking out in concentration, he managed to lift the roll about two inches off the platter before it fell out of the sticks' grip. He groaned in frustration, and Zexion snickered. Roxas glared at him.

"Don't laugh." Roxas muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't funny!"

"Yes it is." Zexion asked, rubbing his eyes to clear them of the tears forming from the smell of wasabi assaulting his nose.

"Hmph." Zexion felt his wrist being grabbed. When he stopped rubbing his eyes, he notced Roxas happily chewing and the taro roll gone from in between his chopsticks.

"...You ate my taro roll."

"Yup!" Roxas said, swallowing thickly. Zexion blinked at him before rolling his eyes and using his chopstick to flick some ginger into Roxas's face. The blonde quickly wiped it off and chuckled. "Touche."

.o.O.o.

The two cloaked boys exited the resturant after a rather heated argument over who was paying the bill (Zexion claimed Roxas had spent enough munny and that he should therefore pay for the food, and Roxas insisted that he should pay to make up for making Zexion miss breakfast) which ended in Roxas slyly putting the 140 munny on Axel's tab. Roxas glanced up at the clock tower. Its' hands were showing that it was about 10:30 pm. The blonde smiled. Tonight was gonna go perfectly. They continued to walk through Station Heights, and Roxas hoped Zexion didn't notice the people all seeming to migrate up to Station Plaza. Roxas planned to explain everything, but only _after _the finale, in hopes that Zexion wouldn't see a point in getting flustered over being decieved after the fact. At the very least, his "heart" was in the right place.

"Hey, Roxas! Wait up!" They heard a voice call from behind them. They turned, and saw a pudgy boy with messy black hair running towards them. He stopped in front of them, panting softly from the extra effort to catch up. Eventually he composed himself enough to speak again. "Good to see you. Happy ne-" Pence stopped after he eyed Roxas making the "cut" motion across his neck, a silent sign to keep quiet. He nodded. "How've you been, Rox?"

"No complaints." Roxas responded with a nonchalant shrug. He eyed Zexion wearily. The bluenette rolled his eyes and motioned to Pence before walking away and sitting on a nearby bench, pulling his white leather covered poetry book out of one of the Hot Topic bags. Pence followed him with his eyes before looking back to Roxas.

"What was that about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Roxas sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

"My friend...he isn't from around here. And he doesn't know what day it is." The blonde explained. Pence nodded understandingly.

"If he doesn't even know it's New Year's Eve, then why is he here?" The black haired boy asked innocently.

"Because _I _know what day it is." Roxas said before looking up into the starry night sky, "Besides, I want him to see the grand finale." Pence perked up.

"Hayner's helping his dad set them off this year! I heard it's gonna be bigger than ever!"

"Oh dear. Hayner and explosives don't belong in the same _sentence_, let alone the same square mile." Roxas noted. Pence chuckled, and the duo walked to the bench Zexion was occupying. Said occupant looked up at them over the edge of the book.

"Secret conversation over?" He asked, eyes returning to the book.

Secret conversation over." Roxas and Pence replied in sync. They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Me and Olette were gonna go watch the finale together. Wanna tag along?" Pence asked. Roxas shook his head.

"Nah. I already found a good place to watch. Besides, you and your girlfriend could use some alone time." The blonde replied, nudging Pence playfully. The black haired boy blushed and pushed Roxas away.

"Okay, okay, I get it. The whole kiss at midnight thing. Duzzat mean you're gonna kiss hi-"

"No!" Roxas interrupted, rolling his eyes. Pence laughed.

"I'm just kiddin'." Pence took a glance at the clock tower. "I'd better get going, the finale starts in a half hour and I bet Olette's already there waiting for me. Seeya around!" He said before running off to find Olette. Zexion shut his book and stood up.

"Three questions. What finale, what's happening at midnight, and what's this about kissing?" The bluenette asked, holding up fingers and tapping them for emphasis. Roxas shrugged.

"The finale is just that; the finale. The finale happens at midnight tonight, and it's a custom to kiss when the finale starts but that really only applies to couples, like Olette and Pence, or Hayner and Seifer." The blonde answered, trying to give out as few details as possible. Zexion nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer. Roxas looked at the clock again. "Why don't we get some ice cream and head to our seats?"

"Our _seats_? And where would they be?" Roxas smiled.

"Up there." The blonde said, pointing up at the clock tower ledge. Zexion blinked at him a few times and facepalmed himself. Roxas laughed at the gesture. "Trust me, you'll find out why soon enough."

.o.O.o.

The youngest two of Organization XIII sat on the ledge of the clock tower, each with a bar of sea salt ice cream in their hand. Roxas happily chomped on the bar, while Zexion ignored it completely. He was too busy looking at the rather large crowd gathering in the Plaza below.

"This..._finale _you keep talking about. Is that why all these people are here?" The bluenette asked, gesturing towards the rapidly growing group of people. Roxas nodded.

"Yup. They're here to join in the countdown, and then watch the finale once the clock hits midnight."

"There's a _countdown _to midnight?"

"Uh huh. Listen, it's starting." Roxas and Zexion listened intently as the people in the Plaza far below began to chant numbers backwards.

_Fifteen_

Roxas grinned. "You might wanna eat that before it melts onto your clothes."

_Fourteen_

Zexion licked up the dripping ice cream and resorted to biting it, for time's sake. His mind wandered while he munched the light blue bar that reminded him of his days as Ienzo. "You set me up." The bluenette said out loud, although it was meant to stay in his head.

_Thirteen_

Roxas smiled innocently. "Moi? I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Zexion sent the blonde a "pfft, yeah right" look, and Roxas sighed. "I was just tryin' to get you to lighten up a little..."

_Twelve_

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "By dragging me around Twilight Town? That was supposed to get me to "lighten up"? He asked, sounding harsher than he'd meant to.

_Eleven_

Roxas chuckled. "But it worked, didn't it? You didn't complain once. And it looked like you were having fun with it."

_Ten_

Zexion blinked at the blonde before smiling softly and turning his attention back to his ice cream. Giving it another bite, he muttered, "Perhaps I was."

_Nine_

Roxas shot Zexion a cheeky smile. "See? It worked!"

_Eight_

Zexion looked up at the sky. "So will the finale get me to "loosen up" as well?"

_Seven_

Roxas shrugged. "It might. It's more eye candy than anything."

_Six_

They fell into a comfortable silence, gazing at the sky, content in the other's company. Zexion finished his ice cream and idly examined the stick. It had the word "WINNER" on it.

_Five_

Roxas's smile threatened to split his face in half. What better way to start a year than with a bang? Several very big, colorful bangs, but a bang no less. He looked at Zexion. "So, you figure out what day it is yet?"

_Four_

Zexion raised an eyebrow again. Putting a finger to the crease of his lips in his usual thinking pose, he spoke his thoughts aloud for Roxas to confirm or deny his suspicions. "...Obviously a holiday." Roxas nodded.

_Three_

"A holiday involving December 31st and January 1st." The blonde nodded again.

_Two_

"That would be...the end of one year and the beginning of another." Roxas nodded more excitedly.

_One_

Zexion took in the blonde's reaction, and suddenly the pieces fell into place. He facepalmed himself for forgetting. Some child prodigy he was...

_Zero_

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" A chorus of several voices cheered from below. Zexion looked down at the crowd and saw many couples trying to eat each other's face, which he, for whatever reason, found a bit amusing. The sound of a bang made him look up, and his eyes came to rest on the most beautiful sight he'd seen in a long time.

Rockets hissed as vibrant hues of red, blue, green, orange, pink, and purple illuminated the sky in shallow bursts, rivalling the stars in brightness and beauty. Zexion then understood the need for sitting on the clock tower ledge. They were so close, they could hear the small explosions, feel the heat that radiated from the lovely fireworks, smell the gunpowder packed to make them, and it made the experience even better. Another string of the fireworks went off, these considerably larger and more colorful than the explosions before.

"Woooooooow..." The bluenette whispered, completely awestruck and not able to form anything more coherent than that. Next to him, the amazing show of lights were having the same effect on Roxas, who simply nodded in agreement. The blonde ripped his eyes away from the mystifying sight to give Zexion a genuine smile.

"Happy Nw Year, Zexion." He said before looking back to the display shooting across the sky. Zexion was silent for several moments before sighing contently and giving a small smile of his own.

"Happy New Year, Roxas."

.o.O.o.

A/N- Happy New Year, everyone! I know, this fic is like two days late, but does it really matter? No, no it doesn't. :3 I've been listening to the song Firework by Katy Perry a lot lately, and i think that's where the end came from. I recently found out a friend of mine shares my addiction to sushi, hence the sushi thing, and my cousin and I always go to Hot Topic when she comes to visit. So how'd you like it? Sorry if there are any mistakes. My new netbook doesn't have Microsoft Word on it yet, so i typed this up on Word Pad, which doesn't have the benefit of spell check. But I THINK it's okay.

Poll update! Roxas in first with 19%, Zexion in second with 13%, and Sora and Axel are once again tied for third with 11%.

Sora: See, Axel? Be happy, we're tied again!

Axel: I don't care if we're tied, I just wanna know why I'm losing to Zexy! T.T

Zexion: Aww, is Axel jealous that I'm stealing his spotlight?

Axel: No!

Roxas: Yes.

Axel: ..._Maybe_!

Sora: *giggling* Can't we all just get along?

Roxas, Axel, and Zexion: No.

Sora: ... *Sigh* okay, I tried. *pulls out a frying pan and smacks Axel upside the head* Stop moping about it!

Roxas: *takes frying pan from Sora and smacks Zexion with it* And you stop provoking him!

Axel and Zexion: Owww... T.T *rubs head*

Sora: They're hopeless!

Roxas: You can say that again.

Sora: They're hopeless!

Roxas: -.-'

A/N- lol another short story. oh, Ventus and Vanitas tied for seventh place, which i found ironic and totally hilarious. XD Well, that's enough of my ranting. Go take my poll, and leave a review! :3


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